I haven't been on HT in forever, couldn't remember my old login, so I am starting fresh.

I now have a 2003 Accord V6 (big change from the b18 95 civic

Anyways...

The battery light came on about two weeks ago. I drove it for another 2 days, and then replaced the alternator with one from pep boys. It worked great for about 4 days, then the battery light would come on, sometimes flash, sometimes not on, just randomly.

So after a few days of this I take it to Honda. They tell me my battery is gone, so they put a new one in. I pick up the car and after 10 minutes, the battery light is back on. AHH!

I take the car back and they run some tests and say the Alt is bad and I should replace it. This is where I am right now.

They say the alt could have gone bad because of the old battery. Does this seem right? They said it should be fine once I replace the alt.

Could anything else electrical cause this, or should I just replace the alt tomorrow and see what happen?

Thanks!

 

I don't see how a battery would kill an alternator but still work well enough to start the engine and power accesories. If it were internally shorted, you should have noticed other problems. As for rebuilt alternators, I have had poor luck in the past. In my case it was the bearings went bad. Maybe your replacement suffered an electrical failure?

Anyways, make sure the wiring connectors are all clean and have no bent pins. Also, check the wire running from the alternator to the fuse panel (it supplies the battery with recharge current) and make sure it is not damaged and the connections are clean and tight.

 

I changed my alternator out at 105k only because I drive a long way to work and drive home in the wee small hours of the morning. The alternator was working just fine when I pulled it off. Honda Alternators are robust. How about asking Honda to run a check on the alternator and if they say it is bad, it probably is bad. If you want to buy my old alternator with 105k miles on it, I'll sell it to you for $70 bucks.

 

I have seen nothing but problems with aftermarket alternators on Hondas. Even on the old late 80's cars. Chances are it's a bum alternator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by someone else &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have seen nothing but problems with aftermarket alternators on Hondas. Even on the old late 80's cars. Chances are it's a bum alternator. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i agree, i work at a shop and i've put in aftermarket alternators that don't even work out of the box

 

Take that alternator back to Pep-boys, and get an OEM alternator.

 

I had one on a similar car. He claimed he bought it from Advance auto. But it was clearly a junkyard alternator. I sure hope he wasn't telling the truth.
But the "aftermarket" alternator was making the lights flash like my '68 Ford.